


another chance to right a wrong

by marcaskane (noblydonedonnanoble)



Category: The X-Files RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 21:31:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7285489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/marcaskane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Over the years, cigarettes are just one of two things Gillian can't seem to give up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	another chance to right a wrong

I.

 

                She retreats from David’s trailer after their first argument, and her first instinct is to smoke.

                Although she does not delude herself into thinking that she’s attempting to quit, it irritates Gillian that in such a moment, she feels dependent on the cigarettes that the crew pretends not to notice in her jacket pocket.

                But as it is, Gillian hides behind Mitch’s trailer and swears to herself that the nicotine she’s inhaling is helping, somehow.

                The cigarette is nearly gone when David finds her. She senses him before he’s made a sound—a particular skill of hers that is simultaneously intriguing and unnerving to them both. “I’m not going to apologize,” she tells him sternly, exhaling a cloud of smoke. It feels less dramatic than it always seems in movies.

                “Works for me, since I’m here to apologize anyway.”

                Gillian is all astonishment. She turns on her heel to squint at him. “You found me to apologize?”

                He nods glumly.

                “Oh.” To allow time to process this, she takes one final, excruciatingly long drag from her cigarette before dropping it to the ground and crushing it. “Well. Apology accepted, I suppose.”

                David dares to take a few steps closer. His face is open, vulnerable, so why is it that Gillian feels like it’s _her_ heart on the line when he asks, “Does that mean we can kiss and make up?”

                She considers him. Brushing her hair lightly behind her ear, she murmurs, “Not yet. I’d like a bit more time to stew, first.”

 

II.

 

                The first time he fucks her as a married man, Gillian waits until he’s fallen asleep to retreat to the hotel balcony for some fresh air. She generally refrains from smoking after sex, just because she doesn’t want to start craving a cigarette each time. But right now, she’s desperate.

                Before his wedding, they promised that this wouldn’t happen. Hell, these days they usually can’t stand to look at each other, so not falling into bed seemed pretty fucking easy.

                She can’t believe they were so naïve. If Clyde wasn’t enough to stop them, they shouldn’t have expected this to be any different.  

                If it weren’t so chilly out, she’d want to linger on that balcony… for hours, maybe, if she could manage it. Perhaps she’d stay there all night. Can’t expect Dana Scully to be well-rested in every episode.

                Knocking on the glass door is all that stops her. Sliding it open a crack—“Come to bed, Gilly. You’re awful to work with on less than 6 hours of sleep.”

                Always knows the way to a girl’s heart.

 

III.

 

                “I thought you quit.”

                Gillian doesn’t bother to feign surprise that he followed her, just smirks and holds out the box of cigarettes to offer him one. He politely refuses, but as he sits down on the steps beside her, he plucks hers away and takes a quick drag off of it.

                “That was just because of Oscar. I missed it, though. I picked it back up not long after I had him.”

                David bumps his shoulder against hers. “Is it weird to say I’m glad?”

                She swallows hard, looking down at the ground. “Glad that I’m still addicted to these damn cancer sticks? Yeah, probably a little weird. Why are you glad?”

                He buries his nose in her neck, nuzzling her gently, and she looks around, suddenly feeling remarkably exposed. No one on set would think twice about this sort of behavior, but old habits die hard. Flirting with David is dangerous in a way that she never realizes until she’s directly beside him again.

                “Because you’re not Gillian unless you smell like tobacco.”

                No. She’s just different. She’s not his version of Gillian unless she smells like tobacco. But she doesn’t say that, of course. Instead, she turns her head slightly so that she can press a graze of a kiss to his temple. “Let’s run our lines for the next scene again.”

 

IV.

 

                Gillian mostly hates clubs because she always finds herself feeling overwhelmed and fleeing into scummy back alleys. But now it’s David that she’s hiding from and she’s out of cigarettes but she really, really does not want to run into any fans while she runs to find a corner shop where she can get some. So instead she’s alone in a dark alley, not able to smoke and doing her best not to panic.

                (She’s not doing a very good job.)

                The door to the club groans as it opens.

                “What did you kiss me for? I thought we agreed that we’re going to keep this quiet.”

                David clears his throat. “I’m sorry. Having you up on stage with me… I was excited. I didn’t think.”

                “You didn’t think,” she echoes. “We’re just starting to sort out our shit, David. I don’t want anyone else fucking that up, and I thought you didn’t either.”

                “I don’t,” he says softly. “This means everything to me. I promise you, I want to do it right.”

                She sniffs, sweeping her hair out of her eyes. When his hand settles on her shoulder, she allows herself to move closer, into his touch, but she still doesn’t look his way.

                And then he holds a cigarette in front of her.

                “Wha—”

                “I noticed you were out earlier, but I thought you might want one, so I asked around a bit.”

                Gillian feels like her heart is going to burst as she finally looks at him, takes in his warm eyes and cautious smile. She briefly curls her fingers around his before claiming it. “Sit with me while I smoke?”

                “Of course.”


End file.
